1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zero insertion force (ZIF) connector, and particularly to a zero insertion force connector having a mechanism with a handle thereon for conveniently driving a cover sliding on a base.
2. Description of Related Art
Taiwan Patent Application No. 85107705 discloses a conventional ZIF connector including an insulating base, a cover, a plurality of contacts received in the insulating base, and a cam. The cam comprises a lower column and an upper column stacked together with individual axes thereof being offset from each other a predetermined distance. When the cam rotates, the cover is driven to slide on the base, whereby tail portions of pins of an electronic component mounted on the cover electrically engage with and disengage from the contacts of the connector. Therefore, an electrical circuit between the connector and the electronic component is attained or broken. However, an external tool is needed to rotate the cam, which results an inconvenient operation for a user.
Hence, an improved ZIF connector is required to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a ZIF connector having an improved cam mechanism thereon for being convenient for a user to drive a cover on a base.
In order to achieve the object set forth, a ZIF connector connecting a chip to a printed circuit board comprises a cover, an insulating base having a plurality of contacts received therein, and a cam mechanism accommodated in the cover and the base. The cam mechanism has a handle, a driving portion extending downwardly from an end of the handle, and a rotating shaft extending from a bottom side of the driving portion. The driving portion and the shaft are all configured as columns. The diameter of the driving portion is larger than that of the shaft and the axes of them offset from each other a predetermined distance. Respectively, the driving portion and the shaft engage with and are movable in a cavity defined in the cover and an elliptic opening defined in the base. When a user rotates the handle, the driving portion is swiveled in the cavity and drives the cover to slide on the base for the shaft could not move along a minimum width of the opening. The handle is convenient for the user in inserting/taking out the chip and an easy operation is therefore achieved.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.